Baseball is Back! After an agonizing defeat in the 2016 American League Wild Card Game, The Baltimore Orioles are locked an loaded for the 2017 season. Here’s a quick preview by position group, picks for O’s MVP, Cy Young, newcomer of the year, a bold prediction, and a projected final record.
The Catchers:
The Orioles added Wellington Castillo, who will be known affectionately as “Beef” at The Win Column. Over his career, he has been known as an offensively solid player with defensive limitations. Expect that to continue, though it has been reported that he has worked hard to improve his pitch framing, the hot stat in the catching world these days. He’ll likely slot into the bottom half of the batting order, but if the Orioles want any success in flipping the lineup over back to the top, they’ll need Castillo and backup Caleb Joseph (0 runs batted in) to improve on the .229/.283/.360 slash line that Orioles’ catchers posted last year. Matt Wieters’ departure stings, and the clutch hits will have to come from someone else, but the catchers have a good chance to improve production from the bottom of the order.
The Infielders:
This is the unit that is going to drive this team offensively and defensively. I will never be able to say enough about Manny Machado, Jon Schoop is destined to bounce back from a rough second half last season, Chris Davis will keep hitting his hit moon shots, and J.J. Hardy will play a solid shortstop and quietly have a decent season out of the 9 hole in the order. Schoop scorched opposing pitching in the first half last year, but fell off in the second half. I expect much more consistent production out of him as he enters his 4th season as an everyday player. Chris Davis seems to be on the Jeff Samardzija “alternating seasons of success” career path, which means he’ll be back at the top of his game this season. Look for Ryan Flaherty to get some more playing time as I don’t expect Schoop to play 162 games again and Hardy may require some more off days as well. Machado, Schoop, and Davis will all receive Gold Glove consideration.
The Outfielders:
Since the offseason began after the Wild Card Game loss, the outfield situation in Birdland was a little murky. While Adam Jones was a lock to patrol center field as he has for the last 9 years, the corners were up for grabs. Mark Trumbo is back on what (compared to what he was originally asking for) seems like a team friendly contract, Joey Rickard is back from injury and impressed again this Spring Training, Hyun Soo Kim was a revelation last season against right handed pitching after a horrid spring, the Orioles traded for veteran Seth Smith, and Craig Gentry is on a mission to revitalize his career. But do we really have any more answers than we did a few months ago? Who is going to lead off? How will the platoons work if Smith is not healthy? Will HSK get any at bats against lefty pitchers? Who gets bumped off of the 25 man roster when the starting staff is a full 5 pitchers? Will Anthony Santander be on the roster for 90 days to keep him in the organization? If anything, there are more question marks than when we started. Adam Jones’ offensive numbers have steadily declined since 2012, but I expect him to anchor the top and middle of the lineup with a bounce back season after his World Baseball Classic performance. One thing is for certain, left field will need to provide more consistent offensive production after hitting just .251/.323/.365 last season.
Starting Pitchers:
Starting pitching seems to be the question the Orioles cannot definitively answer year in and year out. This year’s Opening Day starter, Kevin Gausman, was supposed to make “The Jump” last year. While he posted his most successful season as a professional, logging 30 starts for the first time and a 3.61 ERA, he was not the consistently dominant force the Orioles and fans envisioned when he was selected with the 4th pick in the 2012 draft. While last year he made “a jump” I foresee a bigger one on the way, as he will establish him as a top of the rotation starter. Dylan Bundy gave everyone quite a bit of hope in his first full season in the MLB, first of all, by staying healthy. He didn’t have the greatest spring, but by mixing in his Greek-God cutter, Bundy should be able to keep hitters guessing while he is ahead in the count. While it’s not Price, Porcello, and Sale, when Tillman returns, the Orioles will have a decent top 3 in their rotation. The back end is a little dicey with Ubaldo Jimenez and Wade Miley, but the veterans will do their part as the number 4 and 5 starters over the course of the year. The Orioles also have decent reinforcements at AAA, after acquiring Gabriel Ynoa and Logan Verrett in separate deals from the Mets. I think Ynoa can be an asset this season in case of injury, the Mets have shown a propensity for churning out solid starting pitching.
Relief Pitchers:
This is the best unit on the team and will be one of the best in baseball. Zach Britton is coming off one of the best seasons a relief pitcher has ever had. Darren O’Day will look to bounce back from an injury-riddled season in which he only appeared in 34 games after appearing in 68 in the previous 3 seasons. Brad Brach was very good last year, though he had a bit of a streaky second half. Brach appeared in a career high 71 games last year, but a healthy O’Day should help keep their workloads in check. Donnie Hart and Mychal Givens were terrific when called upon last year, Givens’ Wild Card game appearance (2.1 IP with 3 K’s) will likely go underappreciated forever. We’ll have to hope Givens doesn’t face too many lefty batters, they slashed .366/.464/.561 against him last year, and that Hart doesn’t face too many righties, who slashed .292/370/417 against him. Givens and Hart, along with Tyler Wilson and Vidal Nuno, should prove effective enough to bridge the starters to the shut-down back end relievers.
Team MVP:
The easy choice here is Manny Machado and he probably will be the Orioles’ MVP again. However, I think Adam Jones is in line for a big year. His World Baseball Classic performance showed he can still be an All Star and play a pretty spectacular center field (just ask Manny). Jones was asked to lead off last season, something he had never done consistently in the big leagues. He performed admirably, but has admitted he likes hitting cleanup better. I would support this move, mostly to provide Manny Machado protection with someone who is (slightly) less likely to strike out. Moving Jones back into his comfort zone while hitting behind Machado and in front of Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo could prove to be the magic recipe for Jones to have a season reminiscent of his 2012 campaign.
Team Cy Young:
Zach Britton. The bar he set for himself last year is way too high. While he may not be perfect, he’ll pick up where he left off as the Orioles’ closer and best pitcher.
Newcomer of the Year:
Wellington “Beef” Castillo. He has big shoes to fill in Baltimore, but is certainly very capable of doing it. He should provide a steadier bat than Wieters and will surprise some with his defense behind the plate. The key for him will be to get acquainted with the full pitching staff, as he was away from the team for the duration of the World Baseball Classic. Pitch framing is most difficult when there is a lot of movement on pitches. The Orioles certainly have a lot of movement on the staff between Gausman, Jimenez, Brach, and of course Britton. His ability to adapt to these pitchers will be paramount to his defensive performance. It’s possible that I just like the new nickname on the team.
Bold Prediction:
Jonathan Schoop makes the All-Star Game in 2017. He plays Gold Glove defense, works his way up to the top of the order, and earns a spot as a reserve in the All Star Game, the first of his career.
Season Prediction:
The Orioles once again lead the league and home runs and the starting pitching sneakily keeps them in games. The bullpen dominates once again and Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Jonathan Schoop, and Zach Britton are All Stars. The Orioles finish 87 – 75 and earn another birth in the Wild Card Game.
Let me know what you think O’s fans, and here’s to another successful season!
Let’s Go O’s!
TK.DubC
@itssocontejus
The Win Column 